Death of A German Princess
by Vain x Life Poetess
Summary: The daughter of the Duke of Cleves came with such hope and yet she found disappointment. But was she really as ugly and naive as history and Henry make her out to be? Hear from her own epitaph as she whispers who she really is and the freddom she longs fo


**A/N: **

Here is a tribute from the point of view of a German Princess who came to England to be sold off to a King who was old and ugly, but in the end she turned out to be the _ugly_ one when he rejected, yet she did not mind or testify against it, because in the end that is what she wanted, freedom.

But did she get it and how much was the price she had to pay? I don't personally view this as tribute, but more as a humane portrait and portrayal of the middle daughter of the Duke of Cleves who was no different than any other man, he and her brother to sold of a daughter for political gain, yet in the end perhaps she got the last laugh when she decided to do what she wanted and take the reigns of her own destiny.

* * *

**_And you... _**

**_Will bring me into my knees ... again_**

_My name was never of importance to my father, to my liege and my brother who always managed to terrorize non stop, yet when I cried I would make sure that I annoyed them, for me crying was never weakness, it was an annoying rant women did not realize they could use as weapons to terrorize men equally._

_**All the times that I could beg you please,**_

_**in vain ... All the times, that I felt insecure**_

_I admit I may have never been as smart, educated, 'Princess-like' as the Lady Mary, or as quick wit as the Lady Elizabeth (not to also count her beauty for which the youngest daughter of Henry was famous), or as callous and cunning as a snake like the beautiful Edward, I was never like them. But I was smart enough to know when to admit it._

_**For you**_

_You who ever is watching, whether God, Allah, Yave, Jehova please take my soul as I depart from this world and let the people know what I lived, what these eyes saw and what experiences made me what I am, now that I am about to die._

_**And I leave the murders out the door ...**_

_Anna of Cleves I hear the name calling me, that is me, the German Princess who once came for hopes and dreams and instead found one prison traded for another._

_**But I am on the outside** _...**_ I am looking in,_**

**_I can see through you, see your true color,_**

**_because inside you are ugly, ugly like me ..._**

_I came with such illusions, I was so naive ... All of my life I was in hiding thinking what women should do, my religion told me what we were supposed to do, never to knock unless a man told you so and now that I hear with my stepdaughter -who knew nothing but suffering and led her to be what she is now, like her father- how women are told in the Lutheran Churches -which she calls with hurtful words as 'heretics' - that they are the vessels to God and that there is no more tolerant Church than them, but that is a lie! I who lived through all of that no matter how stupid or naive I was, I knew what they were. _

**_I can see through you, _**

**_see the real you _**...

_All religion say bow to your King, accept your fate and if you are a woman than there is no fate for you but what your husband chooses. Tell me you my God who is hearing is that acceptance to be taken easily? If it is then why are people so ignorant, especially those who call themselves scholars and run over to a religion who in the end is just as corrupted as the Catholic Church? It will end the same, all the religions and their history as my stepdaughters Mary and Elizabeth have told me, ended up in misery and corruption, the Catholic started as an ideal and ended up with blood in its hands, so will the Protestant will soon end. With blood of innocents in their hands, followed by self justification by the 'scholars' who will make it look less horrible than what it is._

_I have been through many things, and have seen many people fight over and even kill, over such petty things as religion and even if I am called to stupid to judge something because I am not as scholarly enough or experienced enough, I know that in the end religion has been the real cause for all of these bloody rebellions that have been spread through out England and other Countries of the Sphere all mortal men and women have inhabited since the Creation of the Human Race itself._

**_"All the times that I felt like this won't end,_**

**_it's for you, and I taste what I could never have ..._**

**_It was from you._**

_My family itself, used the religion in this case the "new" and more "modern and tolerable" religion, as my father called it proudly along with my brother, to exercise their mean to an end, many women now have even told me why was I disappointed and why do I not support the Reformer and "Scholars" who seek themselves a new order and to bring women justice and I say to them God, that I have seen how their "new" and "proud" religion only does the same as the Catholics did, by promising hypocritical oaths to women that they will be treated the same, but in the end all they do is spit at them and sometimes in some cases, be treated worse than with the Catholics themselves._

_But at least they, with all of their self arrogance and rebellion have something that I will never have, an education but most importantly freedom to do what they want, bed who they want, speak what they want without the fear of my step daughter Mary persecuting them, and that is something that even when I have had so many chances to do, in reality I could never have._

_I rejected Mary's father not because I was a coward and God now that I confess only to you, I know that I may be seen now as the foolish or coward one for not demanding Henry to get that name from the people's head, the "Flanders's Mare" but why would I do that when I wanted nothing more than to be outside of his iron fist?_

_Am I to be judge as the forgotten wife who all call stupid and ignorant; while the other five wives who fought their way to be respected and to the very end of their lives, suffered all they could for their ideals and for their lives? Am I not to have the same respect, is it because in the end I know that I am truly a coward for not having the strength you sent to me through many ends?_

**_"All the times that I've cried my intentions, full of pride ..._**

**_But I waste more time than anyone_**

_I once said to my step daughter Mary who they all call bloody now and sometimes I am afraid to admit it, but she has become into the monster she most hated in life, her father. I told that sweet and only friend that ever was nice to me when I came to this strange country, that (and this was in front of Elizabeth whose beauty was something that I wished, for I could never have such gifts!) once you have freedom you can also have to make sacrifices, for their is no happiness without sacrificing something, even you God. Yes, I even mentioned you and I feel so ashamed of doing that for that Mary into what she is now.!_

_How could I have been so stupid, no wonder Henry always said that I was what I was, but I do not believe that fat man's words, even in death now that I am so close to it, I refuse to believe it._

**_"But I am on the outside, I am looking in ..._**

**_Because inside you are ugly, ugly like me,_**

**_I can see through you, see the real you."_**

_If my only friend Mary could see herself now and how much is she becoming her father, she was my only friend and now she is gone, just like all that I've left behind, I just wanted to be different God._

_I did not mean to hurt anybody and you know who I mean, that is Thomas Cromwell who Mary to this day condemns and sometimes I hear my other friend, the Lady Elizabeth who is now at the mercy of Mary who condemns her of conspiring against her. They both tell me Cromwell was a man of an opportunistic manner, but yet I feel guilty for in denying Henry I also let Cromwell's enemies send him to the scaffold._

_Mary tells me good riddance and even Elizabeth whose natures also has the Tudor blood which never ceases to be tired of blood lust, she too has that characteristic, they tell me I did alright but yet I feel like I did not. I gave myself to that man God, to that awful sick and fat man Henry, the girls' father and I cannot believe that for a moment I did not fight him when he said that I was the most horrible woman._

_I vowed never to be close to such ugliness but much to my disappointment; Mary's scholars call me ugly for not vowing myself completely and helping Mary because I know that what Mary is doing is something I cannot do, I cannot do this again, no more. I abandoned her father for he was a tyrant and now she is becoming the same because in the end, her sadness and all the injustices made to her by this damned realm of "new" England made her into what she is now, a tyrant and self justifying Queen who is not seeing that by wilfully binding herself to the pain she also puts Elizabeth and others pain at the expense of her, and also lets myself be consumed by that pain._

_She calls me ugly now, but I know that even if I have been a coward, I have always refused to be another lamb to the slaughter, all the other wives, the other five were lambs to the slaughter who gave their lives for one man, whether for love, glory or ambition who know, but I refused myself to be of those and yes God! I was a coward, but with good reason and if I am ugly inside for that as by the outside, then fine let them call me mare and ugly. But make Mary and all the Tudors especially Henry, realize that they are ugly too, Mary is ugly too as she is becoming a Henry VIII by being possessed by her anger._

**_"All the times that I've cried, all this wasted ... Is all inside_**

**_And I feel all this pain, stuffed it down ... _**

**_Is back again,_****_and I lie here in bed all alone, _**

**_I can't mend but I feel tomorrow will be O.K."_**

_But I do not want you God to blame Henry's daughters or his other descendants, Mary is Mary, Elizabeth is Elizabeth and I now feel that I may have to be ready to enter now the realm of beyond my reach, for I feel my body growing weak and I can barely hear anymore what is being whispered by my caretakers._

_I have not aged as much as I was expected to age, maybe my conditions and the price I paid to be free of Henry's burdens have helped, but still the pains did never leave, for leaving my Country and all of my doing left me questioning what was right or wrong._

_It happened now and I feel myself closing my eyes, I cannot cry now, and I will not be able to see my best friend Mary and beautiful Elizabeth visit me as I die, and it is a shame for I really want to, but I can't; I fear the shadow of death upon my soul already and now I have to cut briefly the communication with you Lord, for I go to meet you very soon._

_There is no more death, there is only peace and I feel finally myself closing in to death and embracing it. I close my eyelids and suddenly I feel nothing else and my spirit which hovers around into the infinite knows I am dead._

**_"But I am on the outside, I am looking in_**

**_I can see through you, see your true colors ..._**

**_Cause inside you're ugly, ugly like me ..._**

**_I can see through you, see the real you."_**

_I travel outside the sphere of Planet Earth, and I see many light, many worlds, stars and other many things. I see a bright light and a man with black robes is there to greet me he wears the "S" Necklace around his neck, the man smiles at me and I know there is only one man who can wear those and have that playful smile, I did not meet him but now as I see his warm chocolate eyes I see that his warm welcome is pure. "Welcome" He says and I let him lead me into what is to be my new peace and finally my freedom. The faces of the wives greet me and I finally know that I am at home, free to rest, learn and do what I wish. They tell me they waited for me, for I am Tudor just like them, and just like all._

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**A/N:**

**Hope you liked this, it was not as hard as the others, but it was still as hard as Anne of cleves is not somebody I know much so I had to research.**

**This is how I imagined her and the song is outside by staind, my favorite choice of song for this.**


End file.
